M.K. Ghandi The story of my experiment with truth Essay - 1

M.K. Ghandi The story of my experiment with truth - Essay Example As a consequence, ever person is liable for the truth and has a responsibility that it be recognized and valued by others. The first twenty seven chapters of the book see how Gandhi’s life is molded by his circumstance and then in turn sought to mold his own destiny. From his childhood, his being part of the Banya caste, growing up in Porbandar and Rajkot and being in general under the absolute duress of his parents social and political roles (4-7). He has a great respect for elders and people in authority, considers them beyond reproach or doubt. His experience as student, particularly the incident where he said that his teacher prompted him to cheat to impress a school inspector, reading Harishchandra and watching the play Harishchandra are key points in his childhood. These laid the foundations for his future treatise on truth and society which will led him to question what in his childhood he accepted so easily including his formative schooling experience and Hindu social customs (4). Gandhi considers his life experience as a process of contemplation, self-realization and application. In conjunction with his personal and professional development within and outside his primary context, he considers these as experiments that have allowed him to define his values and prerogatives. Such as in his early experience with eating meat, his commitment to avowing this food develops from compliance by rote and enforcement, defiance by subversion, rationalization through knowledge and finally true acknowledgment and acquiescence of the practice. This will set a pattern it seems for Gandhi: evident in the succeeding chapters of the book detailing his high school, college and early professional experiences in Africa and home. His life is highlighted by time of great self-doubt, conflicting familial and social aspirations as well as